fox

I always thought that being a weatherman had to be the greatest job in the world. You don't have to worry about making a mistake and doing the report wrong. You just say "Well folks, the upper air shifted a little overnight and blew those storm clouds over us so we won't be seeing that sun I promised you today." But, he still keeps collecting his paycheck.

Jim 

Stay Safe.

stikpusher

 

 

Don Stauffer

 

 

modelcrazy

Polar Vortex!? We used to call them storms or "cold fronts" before the weather forcasters wanted to stick a name on them and dramatize 'em.

 

 

 

 

No, the polar vortex is not the same as a cold front.  It is a new phenomena due to a slowing of the jet stream.  Vortices breaking off from the arctic air mass and descending into the US have been extremely rare in the past.  Cold fronts move, these isolated polar lows hang around for awhile :-(

 

 

 

 

 

Considering that modern weather measuring and tracking techniques are a fairly recent ability, and that the area has only be populated by people who keep records of such things for only a couple centuries, I'll wager that in the true history of the continent, it's been going on for a lot longer than the white man has been in the Americas. The jet stream was only discovered and classified in WWII. Nobody new of such things before then.

 

True, but the science of climate has advanced in a quantum leap in the past three quarters of a century.  The discovery of continental drift, or plate tectonics, which was verified soon after World War II caused a big change that overthrew much of Geophysics.  Greenhouse warming, on the other hand, has been known for almost two centuries now.  The use of satellite measurement has increased the data rate by many orders of magnitude.  I would say, too, that the US is behind the Northern Europeans in weather and climate theory.

I grew up on a farm in North Damnkota, many many days we saw -40. I still have PTSD from those days. ):>(

One time in a terrible blizzard Sgt Preston got lost on his patrol rounds, but King led him to help and he stayed with us for a few days. I could tell he wasn't a local 'cuz he talked funny, eh?

Patrick

TheDemiGod

Polar Vortex... another word for sub temps storms. Nor'easter, Blizzards, all the same. Just a new word to describe winter storms...

 

Nor'eater is a coastal storm moving up the coast from, more or less, the Carolinas into New England. They are more famous as winter storms because their precipitation piles up and the after effects linger more. In the summer, they drop a bring of wind and rain. They may cause significant coatal erosion. A nor'easter may also cause blizzard conditions, which carries a very specific set of criteria regarding wind speed, volume of snowy precipitation and duration (maybe temperature, too) . A blizzard can happen anywhere it's cold enough to  snow; a nor'easter only happen along the eastern coast of North America. 

ajlafleche

 

TheDemiGod

Polar Vortex... another word for sub temps storms. Nor'easter, Blizzards, all the same. Just a new word to describe winter storms... 

Nor'eater is a coastal storm moving up the coast from, more or less, the Carolinas into New England. They are more famous as winter storms because their precipitation piles up and the after effects linger more. In the summer, they drop a bring of wind and rain. They may cause significant coatal erosion. A nor'easter may also cause blizzard conditions, which carries a very specific set of criteria regarding wind speed, volume of snowy precipitation and duration (maybe temperature, too) . A blizzard can happen anywhere it's cold enough to  snow; a nor'easter only happen along the eastern coast of North America.  

Don't forget, Al, that the wind direction in a nor'easter is from the northeast.  That's what gives it its name.  Normally the winds in our snow- or rainstorms are westerly.

When I feel that wind coming from the northeast, I know it's going to be rougher than if it's coming from the west.

In Denver, if we can smell Greeley, it means a significant winter weather event is coming shortly. 

Eaglecash867

In Denver, if we can smell Greeley, it means a significant winter weather event is coming shortly.  

Ever since I sprained my knee severely at the end of 2018, I can feel precipitation coming on, too.  Rain or snow.  It really does work.

the Baron

 

 

Eaglecash867

In Denver, if we can smell Greeley, it means a significant winter weather event is coming shortly.  

 

 

 

Ever since I sprained my knee severely at the end of 2018, I can feel precipitation coming on, too.  Rain or snow.  It really does work.

 

My osteo-arthritus does that too.

Don Stauffer

 

 

the Baron

 

 

Eaglecash867

In Denver, if we can smell Greeley, it means a significant winter weather event is coming shortly.  

 

 

 

Ever since I sprained my knee severely at the end of 2018, I can feel precipitation coming on, too.  Rain or snow.  It really does work.

 

 

 

 

My osteo-arthritus does that too.

 

 

Sure does. 

A picture of my route to and from school, whenI was younger.  

knox

A picture of my route to and from school, whenI was younger.  

 

barefoot of course... 

Sun dog at 7:15 AM in Denver yesterday.  Temp was -8 when I took the pic.

Eaglecash867

Sun dog at 7:15 AM in Denver yesterday.  Temp was -8 when I took the pic.

 

Nice one!  Love looking for sundogs, pillers, halos and other visual atmospheric effects.  There was a neat book about it- something like sundogs, glories and something.  I'd like to order a copy (read it years ago), but cannot seem to find the book.

My Latest.

    This is terrible. It snowed night before last. I still am the only one who's left and returned to the house. It's 12 degrees right now and 58 in the house. Where am I? New Braunfels Texas. 45 miles north of San Antonio!

     Sunday the neighborhood was gorgeous. Except for the houses, not a foot-print or Tire-mark on the pristine layer of white stuff.The first neighbor out tried. In his new all wheel drive Audi.Sorry to say he bounced off two parked cars and a pickup before he got half a block.

    My Kia Soul might not be as fancy to some, But it's now five, with no dents in it! There's no indication anyone lives here except my foot-prints to and from, my mobile smoking room. Sure I should stop. But at my age I've given up so much I figured, ah well, besides That I get a Cig and Coffee, Before the neighborhood wakes and it's nice and quiet. I retraced my steps and my landlady wanted to know who walked away from the house after it snowed-The door-bell didn't ring.LOL.LOL

Nice catch!

 I wonder if anyone has seen this before. They are really unusualy striking in the atmosphere at sea in the Polar regions.

Thanks guys.  Here are another couple of good ones I got in the afternoon in November of 2016 while standing behind our hangar.  I think that day we saw a high temp of -15.

I'd never heard of, let alone seen a sun dog.  Pretty cool.  Does it have to be cold for the effect to occur?

Ya TB - my daughter and son-in-law are in San Antonio and they're saying its crazy cold with more weather coming tonight and tomorrow.  There house is in an all electric neighborhood and they only have a bit of firewood.  Are you getting rolling blackouts?

keavdog

I'd never heard of, let alone seen a sun dog.  Pretty cool.  Does it have to be cold for the effect to occur?

Yup.  There have to be ice crystals floating in the air to produce a sun dog.

keavdog

I'd never heard of, let alone seen a sun dog.  Pretty cool.  Does it have to be cold for the effect to occur?

 

Probably more common in winter, but there can be ice crystals at cirrus cloud levels (20,000+ feet) even in summer time. 

Yeah, I saw a sun dog once, on a flight back from Germany to the US.  It was pretty cool.

stikpusher

 

 

Gamera

When I first heard the term 'Polar Vortex' I thought it must be sorta like a Sharknado except for blizzard like conditons and it drops polar bears on people instead of sharks... 

 

 

 

 

Except in the Southern Hemisphere.... then it drops Emperor Penguins!

 

OUCH! That would hurt. I've only been whacked by one of the smaller Adelie penguins. 

Gamera

 

 

stikpusher

 

 

Gamera

When I first heard the term 'Polar Vortex' I thought it must be sorta like a Sharknado except for blizzard like conditons and it drops polar bears on people instead of sharks... 

 

 

 

 

Except in the Southern Hemisphere.... then it drops Emperor Penguins!

 

 

 

 

OUCH! That would hurt. I've only been whacked by one of the smaller Adelie penguins. 

 

I'll bet a flying polar bear, or even a penquin would do a pretty good job of breaking a power line.